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Please refresh my memory with regards to the 70s/80s era Savage 99A twist rate(s) in caliber 250 Savage. They offered both 20" and 22" barrel lengths. Which twist rate(s) were used? Which one is more desirable for shooting a variety of bullet weights? I'm attributing a cluttered mind to not remembering!
The early 250 Savages used the 14" twist which stabilized the 87 grain bullet just fine but was borderline for the 100 grain spitzer bullet. I don't know when the change came but by the 70's I believe they were only using the 10" twist which will stabilize anything you want to shoot in the Savage.
The greatest patriot...
is he who heals the most gullies. Patrick Henry
Old Savage wrote:I think the change to 1 in 10" came much earlier. My 54 will shoot 100s fine.
Pete44RU's twist table shows Model 70's using a 10" twist, but he doesn't have info for the 54: I'll bet Winchester used the 10" from the get-go. If you'd measure your twist rate OS, Pete might add it to his table. I've modified my copy of Pete's table to include our info from 457121. That was something I had long wondered about.
The greatest patriot...
is he who heals the most gullies. Patrick Henry
Old Savage wrote:Earl, sorry for the misunderstanding. I was referring to my 1954 manufacture Savage 99 which is an EG.
OOops! my bad.
Somewhere I read -- maybe it was on this forum -- that the barrel making machinery they used in the Savage plant might not have been exactly all standard and some barrels might come out with 15" twists and some 13" (I don't remember perzactly, but the reasoning was that was the reason some guns would handle the 100 grain bullets fine and some wouldn't). My particular old one (late 30's) seems to have real close to the 14" twist, near as I can measure a turn of the cleaning rod. It doesn't keyhole 100 grainers (at least at 100 yards) but it doesn't seem to shoot them well. But I have to admit I have not tried very hard to get a load with 100 grain bullets since it seems to like the 90 grain Sierra hollowpoint and that bullet has a decent rep as a game bullet.
And truth be told, most of its shooting is with the .257312 Lyman 90 grain flat-nose gas check and of course it likes those just fine.
The greatest patriot...
is he who heals the most gullies. Patrick Henry
Ken Waters states in his Pet Loads that the change was from 1 in 14" to 1 in 10". The latter was in his 1970s 99A. I"ll have get mine out and check it.
In the High Desert of Southern Calif. ..."on the cutting edge of going back in time"...
My Uncle Harold hunted with a 250 Savage for many decades. He always bought Savage ammo which is assumed to feature 87 grain bullets. When Savage stopped making ammo, he switched to Remington. Uncle Harold never passed up a legal buck and took many does as well. His lever action rifle was fitted with a receiver sight. My cousin has owned the rifle for about 30 years and he has taken many fine bucks with it in Adams County, Pennsylvania.
I doubt that there is any significant difference in killing power between 87 or 100 grain bullets when shot through the chest organs at reasonable distances.
TR
Fire Up the Grill - Hunting is NOT Catch & Release!
Earl, Big Sky: mine indeed seems to be the expected 1-14". It will shoot subinch three shot groups with both 100 gr. Silvertips and Sierra 100s over 33.0 grs of 4064. Each clocked about 2800 fps.
I tried it with some 100 gr. TSX bullets and could not get it to hit the 21"x21" NRA target at 50 yds. Not sure what was going on there.
In the High Desert of Southern Calif. ..."on the cutting edge of going back in time"...
OS its bullet length not weight, a 117 spire point wont shoot well but the 117 RN does, a mono bullet 100 probably is as long as a 115-117 lead spire point. 4064 is a dadgum good powder but for the 250 & 300 sav there are better powders when using the heavier bullets. danny
True on the length. Surprised they didn't just keyhole. They are very accurate in my ,25-35 but too long to work through the action. Personally not interested in heavy end bullets for either caliber. I would just use a heavier caliber. Probably the 100 in the .250 and the 150 in the .300 are my choice. Not sure there would be much better than 4064 in those roles though I have not used many newer powders.
Sometimes I just get interested in reloading anomalies.
In the High Desert of Southern Calif. ..."on the cutting edge of going back in time"...
OS the 100 gr bullet is pretty good in the 14 twist, alot of deer elk and moose have fallen to the 100 it opens up to quick for a shoulder shot on elk & moose but fine for a neck or in the lungs shot such as my neighbors meat bull. Ive always been a heavy for caliber believer after reading Bell's accounts on performance on african game and penetration with his 6.5&7mm when I was a young lad. and it has worked for me when hunting timber for elk I run 180's in the 300 sav now but do run 150's for hunting the prairie side of the state. danny
